Serves 8 to 10
MIDWESTERNERS WITH SLOVENIAN BLOOD MIGHT CALL IT POTICA, CROATIANS know it as povitica, and some folks simply call it nut roll. But what’s important to know is the building blocks here are a sweet, yeasted dough and a rich, sugary, spiced nut filling, rolled together. Some look more like a long, uncut log of cinnamon roll, with chunky, distinct layers of dough and filling, while others reveal a cross-section of impossibly thin layers. Considering Eastern Europe tends to crank out supermodels at a staggering rate, I thought I’d give my potica the beauty treatment of the latter, with fine layers creating smokelike swirls inside.
Now, I’m not going to gloss over it—the process of shaping potica is absolutely a case of practice making perfect. But I promise you, the first time you nail the shaping and cut into a loaf to find a dizzying interior of swirls, you will experience a sense of self-satisfaction very few things can match.
3 tablespoons warm water (110° to 115°F/43° to 46°C)
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
4 tablespoons/57 g unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup/75 g warm whole milk (110° to 115°F/43° to 46°C)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups/256 g unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Nonstick cooking spray or oil for bowl and loaf pan
2 cups/225 g raw walnut halves, finely ground*
½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus a pinch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup/84 g honey
¼ cup/57 g light brown sugar
1 large egg, separated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons unsweetened natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons whole milk, as needed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
Pinch of fine sea salt
3 tablespoons/38 g granulated sugar for sprinkling
Prepare the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the warm water and yeast. Set aside for a couple minutes. Add the melted butter, milk, granulated sugar, and egg. Add the flour and salt to the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Fit the bowl onto the mixer along with the dough hook. Knead the dough on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 6 to 7 minutes.
Lightly flour a work surface and turn out the dough onto it. Knead the dough by hand several times. Spray the mixer bowl with nonstick cooking spray or oil it lightly. Place the dough in the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Prepare the filling: In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the ground walnuts with ½ teaspoon of salt, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cinnamon. Let cool completely.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, brown sugar, egg yolk, melted butter, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Stir in the cooled walnuts.
Beat the egg white by hand with a pinch of salt until thickened and foamy. Fold the egg white into the walnut mixture, to loosen it slightly.
When the dough has finished its first rise, lightly flour a large work surface, at least 3 feet/92 cm square. Turn out the dough and press into a rough rectangle, with the longer side closest to you. Roll out the dough, keeping it in a rough rectangle shape, until you create a very thin sheet, 18 × 24 inches/46 × 61 cm. As you roll, stop every few strokes and stretch the dough with your hands from underneath, from the center gently outward, and then smooth it back onto the work surface with a quick flick, like a small bedsheet (if it’s getting tacky at any point, scatter a little more flour under the dough).
Once you’ve reached the proper dimensions, use a small offset spatula to spread a little bit of the filling onto a small area of the dough to test it—does it spread easily into a thin layer without pulling the dough or causing it to tear (a little stretching is okay)? If not, add a bit of milk in 1-tablespoon increments until the filling is thick but spreadable. Dollop the filling in tablespoons all over the dough, then spread the filling thinly, leaving a ½-inch/1.25 cm bare border on all sides.
Roll the dough into a tight log, starting with the long side closest to you: Begin with a ½-inch/1.25 cm fold along the length of the dough, starting on the far right and moving left. Now go back toward the right, tightly rolling up the dough with typewriter fingertips as you go.
To finish the loaf: In a small cup, beat together the egg, water, and salt.
Moisten the exposed edge of the dough with egg wash and finish the roll, pinching the dough to create a tight seam. Trim the 2 ends of the log neatly and pinch them tightly to seal. Turn the log seam-side down. Spray a 9 × 5-inch/23 × 12.7 cm metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Gently roll the log back and forth under your palms until the length is 3 times that of your loaf pan. Fold the log into thirds in a tight Z shape and tuck the ends under to form a neat loaf. Transfer the loaf to the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 1 hour.
Meanwhile, position a rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 350°F/180°C. Brush the loaf with the egg wash and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F/180°C, then lower the oven temperature to 300°F/150°C. Continue to bake for 45 minutes more, or until deeply golden and hollow-sounding all over when tapped (the internal temperature should register at least 190°F/88°C on an instant-read thermometer). Allow the bread to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes before unmolding. Let cool completely before slicing.
*You want the nuts very finely ground in a food processor or blender, nearly to a flour. It will keep the delicate dough from tearing when the filling is spread out. If you happen to find yourself with some wild black walnuts, native to the Midwest and particularly the Missouri Ozarks, this is a stellar place to use them. Just do a half-and-half mix of black walnuts and the lighter English walnuts typically found in grocery stores—a little of the bold, musky depth of black walnuts goes a long way.